Charlotte golf will compete at its lone home event of 2013, the Irish Creek Collegiate, co-hosted by Charlotte and Davidson and the Charlotte Sports Foundation, with a 36-hole opening day Saturday, April 6 and an 18-hole final on Sunday, April 7.

The tournament field includes a massive 17 teams, including Charlotte and Davidson, and many others from North Carolina. The 49ers and Wildcats will be joined by in-state participants Appalachian State, East Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina State and UNC Wilmington. Richmond and VCU will join from neighboring Virginia, and Akron, Kansas, Kennesaw State, Louisville, Marshall, Mercer, Notre Dame and Xavier round out the field.

For the first time this year, Charlotte will be putting three freshmen into the lineup for an event to go with juniors Joe Toland (White River Junction, Vt. / Hartford HS) and Franco Castro (Alpharetta, Ga. / LSU). The young players have been nothing short of amazing at time for the 49ers this season. Freshman Thomas Rowland (St. Bedes Catholic School & Sixth Form College) was the A-10 Golfer of the Week on March 27 for leading Charlotte at the rain-shortened Linger Longer Invitational in late March, while Dan Hendry (Dubai, United Arab Emirates / Dubai College) has been previously named Golfer of the Week (September 19) and Riley Davenport (Woodstock, Ga. / Sequoya HS) was named Rookie of the Week in the league on February 27.

Those five will compete for the team score, with freshman John Boehme (Jacksonville Beach, Fla. / Sandalwood HS) and senior Braeden Cryderman (Huntsville, Ontario / Queens University of Charlotte) on the course competing as individuals.

Mercer junior James Beale took medalist honors with a 13-under score in last year’s event, and past team champions in this year’s field include five-time winner Charlotte (2005-2008, 2010), VCU (2000, 2009), and North Carolina (1999, 2003).

The Club at Irish Creek, located in Kannapolis, is the third course to host this event, which will be in its 16th year of competition. Irish Creek will prove a tough test of golf at par-71, 7,099 yards.

Teams will tee off in a shotgun format, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, concluding with an 18-hole final round Sunday, also starting at 8:30 a.m.